We’re honored that the Ulster Historical Foundation (UHF) featured IGSI in the latest issue of their members’ digital newsletter. With their kind permission, we are pleased to share this reprint from The Kiltonga Bugle, No. 4 (Sept. 2025, ISSN 2753-3433), as written by Fintan Mullan:

Minneapolis

I had spoken in Minneapolis as far back as 2005, incidentally the year Dr. Trainor and I, and our van, had an encounter with a deer in British Columbia on the way to Calgary. Gillian had not and was much looking forward to it. Our host the Irish Genealogical Society International has been of considerable standing in the genealogy world for many decades, a reputation that only increased with its very large and well-attended programmes hosted with TIARA (The Irish Ancestral Research Association, based in Boston) in the years leading up to the Covid hiatus.

  Pictured here is the Minnesota Genealogy Center, Mendota Heights, MN, where the team undertook

                            one-on-one consultations on Wednesday, 12 Mar 2025.

IGSI have continued to deliver large virtual programmes since 2020 and to bring back the in-person events. Our colleague Dr. William Roulston was a speaker at one of the larger events in 2016.  Another two-day combo of presentations (day 1), followed by a lavish dinner, followed by a morning of consultations (day 2), followed by a long drive on the interstate down to the Newberry Library -- it was a classic UHF on the road experience.

A large in-person attendance (plus online participants, which included the Society’s [co-] president, Donna Jones) gathered at the Lost Spur Golf and Event Center. The IGSI team led by Donna and Walt, plus Ann, Mike, Dave, Gigi, Janelle, Mary (in fact there were so many to thank in each location, we almost certainly but inadvertently have missed a name) worked like a well-oiled machine, on both days – they knew what they were doing. We must applaud Walt for his herculean efforts with all the tech during the programme to keep the in-house and online audiences content. Nor should we forget the multi-tasking Dave, who was also involved on the IGSI planning committee for this event.

Blog Editor's Notes: UHF just announced an early booking offer for its 2026 Irish Family History Conferences. Click here for more information.

If you missed reading about IGSI member Rita McNabb's experiences attending the Sept 2025 Irish Family History Conference at PRONI, catch it here.